Author: Press Room

Published on 15/06/2025 – 13:15 GMT+2•Updated 13:18ADVERTISEMENTLocal Ukrainian media quoted Ukrainian authorities on Sunday morning reporting another massive aerial attack, involving drones, artillery and missiles, among them the hypersonic Khinzal, as well as Iskander and Kalibr cruise missiles.In the southern city of Kherson, one person was killed and another injured, Kherson Oblast administration reported. The main target was the city of Kremenchuk in Poltava Oblast. There were no reported casualties but energy and agricultural facilities were hit by debris.Of the nearly 200 weapons, the Ukrainian air force reported 111 drones downed with a further 48 diverted, and two Kinzhal, three…

A humpback whale entangled in rope off the coast of Otago was freed this morning thanks to the efforts of the Department of Conservation, a local fishing crew and mana whenua.The juvenile to sub-adult humpback whale, around 8-9 metres long, was first sighted around 9am on Sunday.It was caught in 12mm braided cray pot line with a single float gear that did not appear to belong to a local company.Department of Conservation’s expert whale disentanglement team assessed the whale as being in “immediate danger” and made the call to work remotely with an experienced local fishing crew already on site…

The founder of a landmark study following more than a thousand babies born in the early 1970s has died.Dr Phil Silva, who started the Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study – commonly known as the ‘Dunedin Study’ – died on Thursday, aged 84. He began the study, which followed the lives of 1037 babies born at Queen Mary Maternity Hospital, Dunedin, in 1972.Current Dunedin Study director Professor Moana Theodore. (Source: Supplied)Current Dunedin Study director professor Moana Theodore said he was “an interesting academic”, who previously worked as a former primary school teacher and psychologist.Teaching rural children in the 1960s underpinned his…

New Zealand author Maurice Gee has died in Nelson aged 93.One of the country’s most prolific and well-known writers, Gee wrote more than 30 novels for both adults and children.His novel Under The Mountain was adapted for TV in 1981 and into a film in 2009.Nelson MP Rachel Boyack confirmed Gee’s passing as “such sad news” in a social media post.”Maurice Gee was a giant of New Zealand’s literary world, and his stories shaped the upbringings of many of us,” she noted.In a statement posted to X, poet Bill Manhire called Gee “one of the greats”.Gee was born in Whakatāne…

By Phil Pennington of RNZ The heads of a dozen of the largest retailers and telcos in the country have come out in strong support of using facial recognition technology in their stores. This follows the Privacy Commissioner giving a “cautious tick” to a trial in New World and Pak’nSave supermarkets. “The undersigned major New Zealand retailers strongly support the use of fair and accurate technology to protect our workers and customers,” said a statement at industry group Retail NZ’s website. Without saying when they might start using it, they stated they would work now to develop “best practice”. “We recognise…

Nearly 200 new affordable homes will be developed in Rotorua by mid-2027 under a community-led housing initiative backed by the Government, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka announced.Of the 189 homes, up to 150 would be social housing to be delivered by June 2027 by the Rotorua Lakes Council, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and community housing providers.A project consisting of 39 affordable rentals would be delivered in 12 months by Ōwhata Kōhanga Rākau, which is partly funded by HUD’s Māori Housing programme.Rotorua was a “priority location” for housing, Potaka said, with disproportionate numbers of people in temporary and…

New Zealand will trial visa waivers for Chinese visitors arriving from Australia starting this November, the Government has announced.The “visa waiver status” changes would only apply to Chinese passport holders with a valid Australian visitor, work, student or family visa, and for stays of up to three months.Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said the Government was helping to boost the country’s attractiveness as a destination for Chinese tourists. “More than 240,000 Chinese visitor visas were granted in 2024, and we want those numbers to grow,” she said in a media release. “This will make it easier, cheaper and faster for them…

Whakatāne Mayor Victor Luca has made an appeal to central government for support to keep Air Chathams flying out of Whakatāne.A response from Associate Transport Minister James Meager, although not making any firm promises, has provided some hope for some support for regional air connectivity.Earlier this year, Air Chathams had requested additional support from Whakatāne District Council stating that without it, it would have to discontinue its Whakatāne to Auckland route.The council refused the majority of Air Chathams requests, taking the stance that is should not be up to ratepayers to fund a commercial operation that a large portion of…

Two people have died after a boat capsized on the sand bar at the mouth of the Pātea River in south Taranaki this morning.Detective Sergeant Chris Allemann said police had been notified that a boat with three people on board had overturned about 200m offshore at around 10.15am on Sunday.”Sadly, two people died in the incident and their bodies were recovered by 11.30am.”One person was located in the water after the boat capsized, was treated by ambulance at the scene and have been taken to hospital.Allemann said police were providing support to the next of kin and that the cause…

Former finance minister Ruth Richardson has called for an increase in the retirement age, warning New Zealand faces a balance sheet crisis without urgent action.The newly appointed chairperson of the Taxpayers’ Union, a right-wing political lobby group, told Q+A that government debt needed addressing.”We need to control our spending appetite, we need to bring debt under control, and we need to restore New Zealand’s books to a state of fiscal responsibility,” Richardson said.”From a central government perspective, it’s clear that we have a crisis, and the crisis is looming — as it is in many other countries in the West,…